THEPOWER

OF Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare: Our First Century

Donna Abney did most of the original research for this book, conducting more than 50 interviews. She retired in 2016 as executive vice president of Methodist Le Bonheur

Healthcare, a job she had held since 2002, where she was responsible for managed care, physician services, information systems, and marketing and communications. Abney became senior vice president in October 1995, when Methodist Healthcare merged with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Previously, she was senior vice president for marketing and planning for Le Bonheur Health Systems Inc. and vice president and director of marketing for Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center. Abney earned a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s in advertising from the University of Memphis.

Leanne Kleinmann is an experienced writer, editor, and strategist who counsels both for-profit and nonprofit clients in Memphis and nationwide on communications

strategy, development communication, and how to tell authentic stories. She was a longtime senior editor, columnist, and award-winning blogger at the The Commercial Appeal, the first female editor of Memphis magazine, and served as director of advancement at St. Mary’s Episcopal School. Before moving to Memphis, Leanne taught at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, from which she received her degree, and was a magazine editor in New York City.

Hudd Byard has been the creative director of the Byard Design Company since 2008, an independent graphic design studio working with a wide range of

clients, with an emphasis on publication design. He previously served as the art director for Memphis magazine and associate designer for GQ in New York. His background includes stints as an art and graphic media teacher with the Shelby County Schools system, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. A graduate of the University of Memphis, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design and a Master of Arts in teaching, with a focus on art education.

WHEN MISSISSIPPI FARMER John Sherard decided Memphis needed a Methodist hospital at the dawn of the 20th century, it was a very different time. The first stand-alone Methodist Hospital opened on June 23, 1918, in the former Lucy Brinkley Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The 65-bed facility at 855 Union was a welcome gift that allowed the dream of a Methodist Hospital to become a reality more quickly. By the time the red brick hospital began rising at the corner of Union and Bellevue in 1923, it included space for 125 patient beds, though air conditioning came later. By 2018, the health system would be a leader in using data to drive quality and would include a world-class transplant institute, cancer care center, and innovative cardiac programs as well as the nationally recognized Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. As the organization embarks on its second century, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare includes six hospitals and many other sites of care, including physician practices, minor meds, surgery centers, outpatient facilities, and a hospice residence.

What has remained constant throughout Methodist’s storied 100-year history, though, is this: From the beginning, the conferences of the Methodist Church that supported the hospital — and later, the healthcare system — saw it as a ministry of faith and healing for all, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Through the years, that same culture of compassion, caring, and integrity has endured and helped Methodist grow and flourish. The spirit of the organization came to be known by the phrase, “The Power of One,” which captures the belief that one person, one team, or one smile could make all the difference. The Power of One can be seen in John Sherard’s tireless efforts to make the dream of a Methodist Hospital a reality, and it is still observed a century later as nurses, physicians, and other members of the MLH team work together to improve every life they touch.

This book is a tribute to all of the men and women whose vision, dedication, and hard work have made Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare the cornerstone for Memphis that it is today.

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